This patent is directed to methods and apparatuses for gas management, and in particular to methods and apparatuses for use with ostomy products for gas management.
During a patient's normal use of an ostomy pouch, significant volumes of gas can accumulate within the pouch. In turn, this can cause a ballooning effect of the pouch, which can cause ostomates distress for a number of reasons.
The ballooning effect causes a discretion issue, as it is difficult to conceal the pouch under clothing. This is concerning in social environments, where individuals may want to keep their ostomy private.
The expanded pouch is uncomfortable both during the day and at night. For example, at night, one may roll over onto the pouch, potentially causing the pouch to detach from the abdomen, causing fecal output to spill everywhere. If pressure is sufficiently high, stool can sometimes escape through pores of the filter as well.
The ballooning effect also reduces the usable wear period of an ostomy wafer and pouch, as the increased pressure causes the wafer to detach from the skin. A detached wafer requires the ostomate to exchange the full ostomy appliance (wafer and pouch), causing greater physical discomfort to the ostomate through skin irritation and increasing the cost of care through more frequent supply purchases.
The collected gas is also significantly odorous, and this leads to further restrictions and embarrassment for ostomates. For example, ostomates will avoid traveling to visit family or friends because they do not want to release the odorous gas in foreign bathrooms. Furthermore, a common method for addressing ballooning is to uncouple the pouch and vent the collected gas, but this must be done in absolute seclusion due to the embarrassing gas odor that is released.
In order to avoid accidents such as these, ostomates will often wake up in the middle of the night to relieve the pressure, which causes a disruption of normal sleep patterns. The normal daily routine also suffers numerous disruptions as the ostomate must frequently visit the restroom or find secluded environments to empty the gas from their pouch. Lastly, ostomates will significantly alter their diet in order to reduce their gas production on a daily basis.
There are no current solutions that prevent gas ballooning or address gas odor for the entire wear period of each pouch in a hygienic, affordable and easy-to-use way. The most prevalent current product is a charcoal filter that is integrated into the pouch. Integrated filters have a tendency to foul during the first day. Because of this fouling problem, the filter does not function for the full wear period of the pouch, which is often four to seven days. Valve solutions also exist, which must be installed by the user and require active manual intervention by the user in order to work. These valves effectively function as emergency release valves after ballooning has already occurred, and they do not address odor.
As set forth in more detail below, the present disclosure describes apparatuses and methods for gas management useful with ostomy products, but may be useful elsewhere, embodying advantageous alternatives to the existing methods.